Clothes-pounder.



A. J. RUPPERT.

CLOTHES POUNDER/ APPLICATION FILED SEPT-2B, I914.

1,152,438. PatentedSept, 7, 1915.

awuwwboa FW d- FTUFPERT 1 mum,

f so AUSTIN a. nurrnnr, or ronnnsron, ILLINOIS.

CLOTHES-POUNDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenteol Sept W, 1915.

Application filed September 28, 1914. Serial No. 863,922

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUSTIN J. RUIPERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Forreston, in the county of Ogle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Founders, of which thefollowing is a specification,

reference being hadlto the accompanying;

drawings- This invention relates to new and useful improvements in washing apparatus, and more particularly to what is known 1n this class as a clothes pounder,'the main ob ect of the present invention being the provision of a device of this character which is soconstructed as to thoroughly agitate the water when pounding the clothes and, at the same time provide for a thorough clrculatlon of the water through the body of the pounder when the same is pressed down upon the clothes in the water.

. Another object ofthe present invention is the provision of'a pounder including an inverted conical-shaped body having in its lower or larger end an agitator which includes an annular ring and having extended across the ring. a plurality of dividing walls whereby to thoroughly agitate the water upon thedownward movement of the pounder.

A further object'of the present invention is the provision of a device of this character which will possess advantages in points of efficiency and durability, is inexpensive to manufacture and, at the same time, is simple in construction andoperation.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as willbe hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and'claim. V

In the'accompanying drawing forming a part of this application, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a clothes pounder constructed in accordance with my invention, parts thereof being broken away and. illustrated in cross section. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 4: is aplan view of a modified form of agitating member; and Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view illustrating a portion of still another modified form of agitator.

Referring more particularlyto the drawadapted to rest.

of the same.

ing, 1 indicates the body of a pounder, which is substantially an inverted truncated coneshaped member havingv itslower edge bent upon itself to form a pocket for the reception of a stifiening wire, generally indicated by the numeral 2 and which, serves to strengthen the lower edge of the body and prevent the same from becoming bent or distorted. The body 1 is further providedat a point removed from the lower end withan annular beading 3, extending inwardly into the body and forming. a shoulder 4:,upon which the inner edge ofthe agitator 5is This agitator may be securedin any suitable manner to the shoulder, but it is preferred to have the same soldered. It will be understood that the agitator maybe held in position by having the inner edge thereof riveted to the side walls of the body or otherwise secured in position. It will be noted that. by having the agitator arranged upon the shoulder, it will prevent the same from becoming pushed farther into the body. 7 y

The agitator itself includes an outer annular band 6, which aslierein shown and described, is preferably corrugated, and in order to retain the band in its effective position, I provide a plurality of dividing walls 7 which extend radially from the center of the bandand the outer endsthereof are soldered or otherwise secured to the inner wall The cross pieces or dividing walls 7 may be arranged within the band in several different ways, but as illustrated in +ig; 2, these cross pieces or dividing walls include a single strip 8, which extends entirely across the space within the band and the ends thereof are secured to the band at diametrically opposite points. The remaining. walls or dividing strips are formed by having a single piece bent upon themselves to form a substantially V-- shaped member and having their intermediate portions solderedor otherwise secured to the central portionof the strip 8, the ends thereof extending radially from the center of the band and are secured to the inner wall of the band by means of solder or other suitable fastenings. As stated above, these dividing walls or strips 7 may be secured within the band in several difiierentways. V

Arranged within the body 1, beyond the shoulder 4;, is a circular plate 9, the central portion of which is integrally formed with llltl a socket member 10, the purpose of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth. llhe outeredge of the plate 9 is soldered or otherwise secured to the inner wall of the body 1" and is provided with a plurality of openingsll which open into a chamber 12 and as illustrated in Fig. 3, the wall of-the body 1' is provided with a plurality of openings V 13 which form a direct communication between the chamber 12 and the exterior of the 7 body, the openings 11 providing for communication between the chamber 12 and the interior 'of the'body. Arranged over the outerifa'ceof the body and directly above the openings 13, are "the hoods 1d which may be soldered or'otherwise secured to the body,

. thelowe'r ends of which are substantially larger than the inner ends. thereof, whereby I, to provide for 'free exit of the water,'which passes up 'throughthe body 1, through the chamber 12 and'out through the openings 13.

"the same'in position by soldering and in order to provide for rigid connection, I have arranged over the handle, a ferrule 16, the-lower end of which projects down over th e'upper end of the socket 10 to a point adjacent the upper ends of the hoods 14. From this it'will be apparent that a substantially strong connectionis provided for connecting the handle to the body.

From the above description, it will be a noted that. I have provided a simple and durable clothes pounder, having an improved, agitatorftherein which may be formed in several different ways, but it is preferableto have the same corrugatedand including an outer corrugated band and a plurality of corrugated. strips extending across the space within the band, whereby to thoroughly agitate the water as it passes into the body and also to provide for a thorough circulation of the water through the body and to this end, it will be noted thatjthe openings 11 and 18 are provided so that the watermay readily pass up through the body and out through the -openings 13,

' the hoods'li preventing further upward movement of the water, by directing the same back into-thetub or other receptacle. The provision of the circular inclined plate 9 produces the annular chamber 12', commnni'cation. being afforded between said chamber and the interior of the pounder through the medium of the openings 11 in the outer edge of said plate. The water entering through these openings strikes against the inclined body wall of the pounder and is directed upwardly through the openings 13 in the upper end of said body wall adjacent to the socket member 10. Ihe water is ejected through these latter openings with considerable force and strikes against the inclined hoods 1 1 by which it is discharged downwardly and outwardly from the pounder body.

In Fig. 4:, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of agitator which includes an outer ring 6 and a plurality of strips or dividing walls 7 radially extending from the center of the ring 6. In this figure it will be noted that the outer ring 6 and the strips 7 are formed perfectly plain instead of corrugated as in the preferred form of the invention and it is to be understood that this form may readily replace the corrugated form, if so desired.

In Fig. 5, I have illustrated still another modifiedform of agitator, wherein the dividing walls or strips 7 a are formed of single strips of material bent upon themselves to provide V-shaped members, the ends of which aresecured to an outer band 6, while the intermediate portions thereof are soldered or otherwise secured to the central ring 8 and it is to be understood that either one of the above noted modified forms can be used in place of the preferred form illus-' trated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive.

My device, as herein shown and described, is extremely simple in construction and can be manufactured and placed upon the market at a comparatively low cost.

It will be understood that while I prefer to fasten the cross pieces or walls 7 in the center of the ring, in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 2', it will be understood that they may be fastened in any desired way,'such as inserting between them a ring, as shown in Fig. 5 or they may be converged together and soldered, as shown in Fig. 4.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it will be obvious that various changes in the details of construction and in the proportions may be resorted to for successfully carrying my invention into practice, without sacrificing any of the novel features or departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is A clothes pounder including a conical shaped body having a socket member secured to its smaller end and projecting within the body, a downwardly inclined circular plate fixed to said socket member and contacting at its outer edge with the body wall of the pounder, said plate constituting one wall of a water receiving chamber and provided in its outer edge with a series of reexterior of said body wall over the latter is cesses affording communication between said openings.

chamber and the interior of the pounder In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my body, the body wall of the pounder being signature in the presence of two witnesses.

also provided adjacent to the socket member and inwardly of the recesses in said plate AUSTIN RUPPERT' with a series of openings through which the Witnesses:

water is ejected in the operation of the H. B. COLVIN,

pounder, and directing hoods fixed to the CHARLEs M. RUPPERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

\ Washington, D. 0'. 

